Taiwanese vegetable vendor awarded as a Hero in the 2010 TIME 100

Chen Shu-chu 陳樹菊, 61, sells vegetable in a stall in the Central Market in Taitung County, one of the counties on the east coast of the island. She was selected as a heroes of philanthropy from Asia by the Forbes magazine in March, 2010. Despite her modest income, she has donated nearly NT$10 million (US$320,000) to various charitable causes, including $32,000 for a children’s fund, $144,000 to help build a library at a school she attended and another $32,000 for the local orphanage, where she also gives financial support to three children. When asked what her motivation was, she simply answered, “every time I help someone, I sleep well at night” and “I feel happy when I give money to someone who needs it When selected as a Hero in the 2010 TIME 100, she had set her mind on not attending the award ceremony, thinking only about getting her normal life back and her vegetable stall. It was only after the President of the ROC called her personally did she finally agree to attend. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued her a passport within an hour, paid for her plane ticket and spending in the US, and even send people from the Taipei Economic Cultural Representative Office in New York to accompany her during the trip. Meanwhile, the American Institute in Taiwan issued her a visa the next morning, all just to send her to New York in time for the award ceremony and recognition she deserves. With all these special treatment, Chen feels flattered and remains her humble self. It has been reported that because of her, the amount of small donations to charities in Taiwan have tripled for the past day.